St Patrick’s Athletic 1
Shamrock Rovers 0
THE SEASON IS just four games old but that’s evidently long enough to see all sides of St Patrick’s Athletic.
Having won their opening game in full view of the nation and then lost their next two, tonight saw a stirring victory at home to the champions. Though outplayed for vast chunks of the first half, Pat’s took an early second-half lead through captain Chris Forrester to which they held gamely on.
Rovers are now two from four this season, with two defeats away to the sides expected to push them closest this season: Derry and Pat’s.
The ground’s atmosphere crackled and snarled with the pre-game flares, as a sold-out Richmond Park – with Stephen Kenny among them – greeted the two best sides of last season. The last seven days left Pat’s aiming to prove they still deserved at least that status.
The game’s start was frantic and splenetic, with both sides wasting chances in the opening 10 minutes. Some delightful interplay with Rory Gaffney in the very first minute allowed Jack Byrne find space and send Danny Mandroiu behind the Pat’s defence, but his duff touch spurned what would have been a one-on-one with Joseph Anang.
Mark Doyle, meanwhile, pulled a shot into the side-netting and then glanced a header over the crossbar after some Darragh Burns trickery by the touchline. At the other end, Gaffney shimmied, shimmied, shimmied and eventually shot at Anang in the penalty area.
Rovers were first to grow tired of the chaos and steadied the pendulum swing of the opening 10 minutes, their neat passing patterns overwhelming Pat’s midfield. In what looked a pre-rehearsed attack, a blur of one-touch passes between Byrne, O’Neill and Dylan Watts tempted the Pat’s defence toward them, at which point Ronan Finn was found sprinting behind the advancing defensive line. Anang got down to push away Finn’s shot.
Pat’s, meanwhile, were largely directionless in attack, frequently knocking the ball long as they found Rovers’ midfield too stolid to play through.
The home fans almost nothing to raise a cheer as the break drew close, but they did have one moment to stoke their ire. Eoin Doyle was fed in the penalty area by a smart, skidded diagonal pass, and he went down following contact with Lee Grace. Richmond Park pleaded for a penalty, but referee Rob Harvey was unmoved.
Pat’s attacked the second half with renewed vigour, with Burns’ influence growing. It was 10 minutes after the break when he forced a corner off Lee Grace, and then saw his corner nodded beyond Alan Mannus by Chris Forrester.
🎥| A Chris Forrester header gives @stpatsfc the lead over @ShamrockRovers 😅
— SSE Airtricity League (@SSEAirtricityLg) March 4, 2022
A great delivery by Darragh Burns 📭
⏱️ Just under an hour played at Richmond Park and it's 1⃣-0⃣ to the hosts pic.twitter.com/HPOgvjrEkg
Stephen Bradley responded by swapping for Danny Mandroiu for Graham Burke, a move made much to Mandroiu’s displeasure, his reaction earning a rebuke from Rovers coach Glenn Cronin.
Thus began the Rovers response.
A delightful Burke dribble – crowned with a roulette – saw the ball bounce to Andy Lyons, whose shot from distance was unconvincingly shovelled around the post by Anang. Moments later Lyons turned creator, and saw his cross from the left acrobatically stabbed over the crossbar by Gaffney.
Rovers, though, completely lost the rhythm of their first-half passing, instead growing bafflingly sloppy. Jack Byrne mislaid a pass right to Forrester, which ended in the midfielder pinging a shot from distance at Mannus, which he fumbled and then grasped the ball in relief as it trickled toward the line.
With 10 minutes left on the clock, Tim Clancy withdrew the electric Burns for Ian Bermingham, switched to a back five and declared for what he had. Stephen Bradley, meanwhile, took the opportunity to swap midfielder Dylan Watts for a striker, Aidomo Emakhu.
Pat’s were made to withstand a frenetic finish, with the memories of last year’s last-minute defeats to Rovers much too fresh in spite of the off-season churn.
Anang stood tall under pressure of the Rovers barrage, though, with Joe Redmond heading away everything that came into sight. A hole was punched in the Pat’s bench in a moment of wild frustration at referee Rob Harvey.
There was time for one last act of late, late drama. Emakhu was hacked down right on the edge of the penalty area, and Harvey pointed for a free-kick rather than a penalty.
Jack Byrne stood over the ball as Clancy screamed desperate instruction at his defenders.
Richmond Park held its breath…and Byrne sliced his free-kick high into the night sky.
That same sky carried jubilant Pat’s cheers moments later.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Joseph Anang; Jack Scott, Joe Redmond, Tom Grivosti, Anto Breslin; Chris Forrester (captain), Adam O’Reilly; Darragh Burns (Ian Bermingham, 80′), Billy King (Tunde Owolabi, 73′), Mark Doyle; Eoin Doyle
Shamrock Rovers: Alan Mannus; Lee Grace, Pico Lopes, Sean Hoare; Ronan Finn (Sean Gannon, 75′) (captain); Gary O’Neill, Dylan Watts (Aidomo Emakhu, 82′); Andy Lyons (Barry Cotter, 75′); Jack Byrne, Danny Mandroiu (Graham Burke, 58′); Rory Gaffney (Aaron Greene, 75′)
Referee: Rob Harvey